OCEAN COUNTY, NEW JERSEY

REFERENCE TIDE GAGE - ATLANTIC CITY

There is no National Ocean Service tide gage in Ocean County. As a result, the Atlantic City tide gage is being used as the reference for the county. The gage is located on the oceanfront at the Trump Pier in Atlantic City.

Oceanfront

The time difference between the high and low tides along the county's oceanfront and those at the Atlantic City gage is generally less than 15 minutes.

Back bays

The back bays of Ocean County (from north to south) are Barnegat Bay, Silver Bay, Manahawkin Bay, Little Egg Harbor and Great Bay.

High and low tides on the back bays of Ocean County occur up to around 5 hours later than the high and low tides at the Atlantic City gage. The greatest time differences occur at the north end of Barnegat Bay near Mantoloking.

The back bays present a problem during prolonged periods of onshore flow. For each successive tide cycle that the back bays are not allowed to drain, the tidal departures increase.

REFERENCE TIDE GAGE - ATLANTIC CITY

The tide heights from actual events referenced below are those that were verified by the National Ocean Service. They may vary slightly from figures found in National Weather Service publications.

In the table an asterisk (*) indicates that location is along the back bays. Being that the reference gage is on the oceanfront, the tide level associated with that particular location may vary somewhat from event to event based on the number of tide cycles during which there is an onshore flow.

ALL HEIGHTS ARE IN MEAN LOWER LOW WATER (MLLW).

9.3 FT -- December 11, 1992.

9.2 FT -- September 14, 1944 (Hurricane).

8.9 FT -- September 27, 1985 (Hurricane Gloria).

8.8 FT -- March 6, 1962; August 9, 1976 (Hurricane Belle) and October 31, 1991.

8.7 FT -- SEVERE TIDAL FLOODING BEGINS.

8.6 FT -- November 25, 1950.

8.4 FT -- March 29, 1984.

8.2 FT -- October 25, 1980.

8.1 FT -- January 4, 1992.

7.9 FT -- March 19, 1996.

7.8 FT -- March 2, 1994.

7.7 FT -- MODERATE TIDAL FLOODING BEGINS.

7.6 FT -- -Bay View Avenue in Seaside Park begins to flood.* -Local roads in Ocean Gate (including Bay View Avenue) begin to flood.* -In eastern Burlington County - Flooding begins in Green Bank and Lower Bank (both in Washington Township).*

7.4 FT -- -Flooding begins at the east end of the NJ Route 72 bridge in Ship Bottom.* -Central Avenue in Ship Bottom begins to flood (between 26th and 29th Streets).* -Local roads in Mystic Islands (Little Egg Harbor Township) begin to flood.*

7.2 FT -- -In Point Pleasant, NJ Route 35 begins to flood at Broadway. -Flooding begins in communities from Point Pleasant to Seaside Park.

7.0 FT -- -Local roads in Barnegat Township (including Bay Shore Drive and East Bay Avenue) begin to flood.* -Local roads in Stafford Township (Beach Haven West and Cedar Bonnets Islands) begin to flood.* -Bayside flooding begins in Harvey Cedars.* -Local roads in Tuckerton (including South Green Street) begin to flood.*

6.7 FT -- MINOR TIDAL FLOODING BEGINS. -Flooding begins in Surf City, Ship Bottom and in the communities on the south half of Long Beach Island (including Beach Haven).

-1.8 FT -- BLOWOUT TIDE.

-3.6 FT -- January 26, 1928 and January 25, 1936.

-3.7 FT -- February 2, 1976.

-3.8 FT -- March 8, 1932.

-4.1 FT -- January 10, 1978.

PLEASE NOTE - The impact statements in the table above are estimates and they do not take into account elements such as rainfall and wave action. As a result, the actual heights at which flooding will occur may vary slightly from those listed in the table.

The United States Geological Survey and the New Jersey Department of Transportation have installed tide gages at Point Pleasant, Mantoloking, Seaside Heights, Waretown, Barnegat Inlet, Ship Bottom and Little Egg Inlet.